All of Me
by sunsetvalleylove
Summary: Two-part spinoff of The Cause of Heartbreak, focuses on the relationship between Bailey's daughter Erica and the love of her life, Richard.
1. Chapter 1

All of Me: A spinoff of The Cause of Heartbreak

_Hey, so this is basically a spinoff two-parter of The Cause of Heartbreak. It's mostly in the POV of Erica Goth, Bailey's oldest daughter, twin sister to Heather and is about her relationship with Richard Randall, together their ship name is Erichard and they're my OTP after Bella and Morty :3 Okay, that sounded a little cheesy. Contains small spoilers to next Cause of Heartbreak chapter... ehh. Also quick shoutout to fellow Andrerichard (the super ship of Erichard and Andrew, who I'll more than likely write fanfic for at some point) shipper Dini, for fangirling with me all the time :P Let's just get this show on the road._

Sims University was something that I was both excited for and dreading at the same time. I was excited for the change in atmosphere and all that, but I was dreading making new friends. Socializing was never really my forte. I could just count myself lucky that my twin sister Heather, the social butterfly, was with me for the next step of our lives.

We'd been on campus for about an hour, and Heather already had a new 'bestie'. A... _unique _looking girl called Julianna. We were all staying at the sorority. My idea of hell. At least I was sharing a room with Heather and nobody else.

"Sooo... how many tattoos do ya have?" Julianna asked Heather.

"Oh, about four, five. You?" Heather grinned. Even the smallest mention of tattoos perked her up. Eighteen years old, she was planning on getting many more. She already had a heart on one arm, a key on the other, a feather on her left ankle, and a quote saying 'the past is practice' on her back.

"Oh, I have several." Julianna replied smugly. It seemed like the two were competing over tattoo numbers.

"Meh, whatever. I'm gonna get more," Heather frowned a little. "Anyway, let's go see what's on campus outside the sorority! Coming, Eri?" she looked at me, as if feeling forced to invite me along. I shrugged.

"Why not?"

We'd been walking for a little while when something caught Julianna's eye.

"Pfft, you seen that guy over there, Heather? He looks like such a dweeb!" She laughed. Heather giggled too.

Awkwardly third wheeling behind the pair, I glanced over to see a guy who looked about our age sitting on a nearby bench. He wore thick black-framed glasses and a button-up shirt with a jumper over the top. His hair was styled in a quirky way, but it looked nice on him. Personally, I didn't agree with Julianna's views on him looking like a 'dweeb'. He actually looked quite cute. I snapped out of my daydream to realise that I was staring straight at him. He'd noticed, and was staring back at me, though with a small smile on his face. I found myself smiling back before running on ahead to catch up with my sister and her friend, who were storming on like they were late for something. I made a quick mental note to keep an eye out for that guy again.

A few hours later, Heather and Julianna had abandoned me to visit some bar. Typical Heather behaviour. She's changed loads in the last few years. Drinking wasn't really my thing, so I decided to do some more campus exploring for myself. I decided that the best way was to pass through the small park where I'd seen 'dweeb' guy earlier. His name was something that I really needed to find out. Passing through the park, I couldn't help but glance over to the bench where that guy was sat. Very surprisingly, he was still there. Feeling a sudden wave of confidence rush over me, I walked over to the bench and sat down.

"Still here?" I smiled at him. He turned towards me, looking somewhat surprised that I was making conversation with him.

"Yeah. I came here to hide from my annoying brother. He's a senior here and loves to wind me up." He spoke.

"Oh right... you're a freshman?"

"Sure am. You too?"

"Snap. What's your degree?"

"Business, though I'm wishing I'd taken Science and Medicine already. You?"

"Physical Education, surprisingly," I laughed. I don't exactly look the most athletic person ever. "My twin sister Heather's taking Science and Medicine."

"Oh, cool. The name's Richard, by the way." He smiled, offering me his hand. I shook it.

"Erica."

"You were saying about a twin sister? You guys look alike?"

I laughed slightly to myself.

"Not in the slightest. She's the girl I was walking behind earlier, the one with the dreadlocks and tattoos."

Richard gasped.

"She's your sister?! Wow, I'd never have guessed that in a million years if you'd never told me." He still seemed really surprised by this.

"Hah, yeah, many others in the sorority were the same. It was my sister's idea to stay there, not mine. We may be sharing a room, but I have a feeling that it's gonna be hell living there for freshman year."

"I'm stuck in a student house with my brother and my friend Kyle. Both are equally sweaty." Richard grinned, causing me to do the same.

"So... you have any other siblings?" I asked.

"Just a bratty younger sister. She's always been the favourite. What about you?"

"I have two younger half-brothers who are seven, and a baby half-sister who is three. She means the world to me, honestly." I smiled sadly to myself, missing Zoey already. Of course I missed Jordan and Lucas too, but my baby sister holds a very special place in my heart.

"Aw. You see your Dad often, then?" I grimaced, though I wasn't really annoyed at Richard. After all, how was he supposed to know?"

"No. He didn't want anything to do with Heather and I when he found out that our Mom was pregnant. Unfortunately for me, I'm stuck with most of his genetics."

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry!" Richard looked agonised.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. He doesn't mean anything to me. Heather actually had a run-in with him the other week, it didn't go down too well..." I winced at the memory. "Anyway, my stepdad treats Heather and I like we're his own children anyway, so I'm not really bothered."

"You were saying earlier that you unfortunately had his genetics? Why unfortunately?" Richard frowned.

"Both my sisters look quite a bit like my Mom, who was drop dead gorgeous when she was younger. Heather's already at that stage, and Zoey will when she's older. Then there's me, looking like a sack of potatoes in comparison to them." I sighed.

"I don't think you look like that... I actually think that you're really pretty." Richard admitted. I blushed.

"Thank you... I've never really been called pretty by anyone before." I admitted.

"Really?! I don't believe that for a second." Richard gasped in surprise.

"Yeah, really. You're literally the first person who isn't my Mom to have said that. Thanks." I smiled, still blushing.

"No problem. Anyway, I should probably go back home now, see you around?"

"Sure. Nice meeting you!" I called as Richard stood up and left. He turned his head and smiled at me.

A few hours later when I was back in mine and Heather's room at the sorority, I was still in a daze about being called pretty. Before I could daydream any further, a pretty drunk Heather staggered into the room.

"HEATHER! A GUY CALLED ME PRETTY!" I squealed and found myself jumping up and pulling my sister into a hug.

"Gerroff, Erica!" Heather slurred slightly. I ignored this. "B-but t-that's... GREEEEAT!"

I'd never seen my sister this drunk before. I suppose that without being under the strict constant supervision of Mom and Colby, she felt more free with her actions. I remember how ballistic the pair went when they discovered that Heather had had her nose pierced. Personally I didn't get the big deal, but apparently she'd 'been breaking the rules of the house'. They can sure be overbearing when they want to.

_**A few weeks later**_

_"But you only need the light when it's burning low_

_Only miss the sun when it starts to snow_

_Only know you love her when you let her go_

_Only know you've been high when you're feeling low_

_Only hate the road when you're missing home_

_Only you love her when you let her go_

_And you let her go..."_

"Will you quitsinging?! _Jeez!_" I heard a bitchy voice from upstairs. After barely even a month in the sorority, I truly hated it. The only two people there who appreciated my company were Heather and Julianna, but even then Julianna was probably only being polite because she's 'besties' with my sister.

"Ignore her, Eri. Sing even louder just to piss her off." Heather grinned. I sighed, turning my iPod off.

"It's fine. I was just gonna go on a jog anyway." I sat up and went rummaging underneath my bed for my running shoes.

"You sure? I was actually thinking about going to grab a burger."

"Sure as ever, gotta stay active." Unlike my twin sister, who was a total couch potato, I was obsessed with exercise.

"You couldn't miss one day? For a _nice, juicy burger?_"

"Afraid not. I'd better get a move on, see ya in a few hours!"

"Bye.." Heather sighed as I left our basement room and made my way upstairs.

A couple of the other sorority girls giggled amongst themselves as I walked past them. Apparently me just being in their sight was hilarious. The sooner that we could go home for a couple weeks, the better.

Ah, there was nothing better than my daily jogs. They usually took place on the afternoons, after my classes for the day were over. I'd taken my usual route of running past the student quad, when- OOF! I'd totally went off into a daydream and ran straight into someone! Feeling my face burn, I looked up to apologize to the person who I'd ran into.

"Oh my gosh, I'm _so _sorry-" I was gonna apologize even mor e until I realized who it was. Then my face burned so much more that I thought it was gonna burst into flames.

"In a hurry there, Erica?" Richard smiled at me, trying to hold in a laugh. I hadn't seen him since our encounter on arrival day.

"I was just jogging then I didn't see anyone coming 'cause I was probably daydreaming again but I'm so sorry!" I managed to say in one breath, wishing that the ground would swallow me up at that moment. It was at that point that Richard burst out laughing.

"Seriously, it's fine. How's university been for you so far?"

"Not too bad, I guess..." I decided to leave out the part about the bitchy sorority girls. "I'm feeling a little homesick, though."

"I can imagine. I've felt the same, but my brother says that you get used to it after a while."

"I sure hope so, it's tough not being able to hug my little siblings." My brothers could be little shits sometimes, but I loved them anyway.

"I'm actually beginning to miss my sister, which certainly says something." Richard chuckled to himself. "Anyway, were you busy?"

"Not really..." I lied. Jogging was a vital part of my daily routine.

"How about we go grab some coffee?"

"Oh, sure!"

I just hoped that Heather wouldn't catch me in the process, as she's passionate about eating burgers with people.

Let's just say that we both really enjoyed the conversation that we had over coffee. I was also finding myself start to develop... _certain feelings_ for Richard.

_**February**_

Richard and I had become closer over the past few months. My sister and Julianna laughed at me in the beginning, but now they're really accepting of Richard. I'd plucked up the courage to confess something to my sister.

"This had better be worth my time." Heather yawned. She was in one of those moods where everything revolved around her and nobody else mattered. I was used to it.

"Well... I think that I like someone as more than a friend." I admitted. That sure got Heather's attention.

"Oh. Em. Gee. WHO?!"

"Guess."

"I don't know... Bernie Butler?" Heather suggested. I snorted in laughter.

"Never in a million years. C'mon, it's a pretty easy guess!"

"Uh... You know I've never been good with names, Erica... What's his name again? Ah, Richard?"

"Correct!"

"OHMIGAWSH, YOU GUYS WOULD BE SO FUCKING CUTE TOGETHER!" Heather suddenly squealed with a high pitch.

"Woah, tone down the pitch! And you really think so?"

"I know so! I can just imagine you two having little Ericas and Richards running around!" My eyes widened.

"Not for quite a few years, Heather. But seriously, don't tell anyone." Heather's face fell at this.

"But why not? How else are you guys gonna hook up?"

"I don't think I'm ready... plus I've never had a boyfriend before, unlike you who can just straight forward go up to guys and ask them out."

"But what about Walter Sheldon from tenth grade maths class? I thought you two had hooked up a few times..."

I actually spat out the water that I was drinking at the time. Walter Sheldon stunk of dead animals, and his face... just ew. Unlike my sister, I was unpopular in high school, which often led to teasing. Someone must've started a rumour that I was seeing Walter, who supposedly had a crush on me at the time.

"Are you having a laugh?! Never in a million years would I have hooked up with Walter Sheldon, even if he was the last man on earth!" I shuddered as an image of his face flashed into my mind. Thankfully, he transferred to another school shortly before eleventh grade began. That put to rest all of the rumours.

"You sure?"

"Positive, Heather."

"Okay. If you want, I can do some scooping around and see if Richard likes you back..."

"Sounds suspicious. How could you possibly find out?"

"I know people." My sister winked before standing up and dramatically leaving the room. Alright then...

A few hours later, I was walking to the library to return a book when I bumped into none other than Richard.

"A little bird told me something about you." He grinned. My face burned bright red. Surely he didn't know already...?

"Wha..?"

"Something you wanted to tell me, Erica?"

"I should've-"

"Why didn't you tell me that you were leaving town this weekend to go home for your little sister's birthday? I'd have bought her a present!"

It took so much willpower to not breathe out a sigh of relief. Richard's never met Zoey, of course, but he's heard so much about her from me.

"Oh yeah! It's fine, really. But thanks anyway."

"You sure? I could still give you money to buy her something from me.."

"Honestly Richard, don't worry about it." I smiled before rummaging in my bag to find the book that I was going to return.

"I'll miss you, Erica." Richard suddenly said. I laughed uneasily.

"It's only for the weekend, you know!"

"I know, but I guess I've just gotten used to seeing you literally every day as well as hanging out most weekends." For a few moments my eyes met Richard's, and there was a genuine sadness in them. He really meant what he was saying.

"I guess... Anyway, I'd better return this book. I've kept it for long enough. See ya around?"

"Sure. If I don't catch you beforehand, wish your sister a happy birthday from me!"

"Of course." I waved before turning around and heading towards the librarian's desk.

_**The weekend**_

"Where's my favourite girl at?!"

"ERIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Zoey came rushing into the kitchen and jumped into my ams.

"Hello princess, happy birthday!" I cooed at my little sister, kissing her on the forehead and hugging her tightly.

"Thank youuu! Where's my present?" Zoey grinned at me.

"It's in the car, Heather's getting it now."

"HEATHIE!" My little sister absolutely adores Heather and I.

"She'll be here in just a sec, 'kay? Now come on, let's go see Mommy."

"MOMMY, ERI'S HERE!" Zoey pushed her way out of my arms and ran back into the living room, me following not far behind her. Sure enough, in the living room were my Mom, Colby, Jordan and Lucas, with Zoey already returning to play with her new toys.

"Hey, guys!" I smiled at my family as they all turned to wave at me. Mom came over and pulled me into a hug.

"Great to see you again, sweetheart. Where's Heather?" she asked.

"Getting stuff from the car. It's sure taking her a while..."

"Well, knowing her, she'll be too busy texting people to open the car boot. Anyway, your Uncle Trent should be here soon with Adrian."

Adrian was my two-year-old cousin, Uncle Trent's only child.

"'Sup, guys?!" Heather suddenly barged into the room carrying the birthday presents that we'd both bought for Zoey.

"HEATHIEEE!" Zoey squealed, once again standing up and running over.

"Happy birthday, baby!" Heather scooped Zoey into her arms and tickled her. Once our little sister was back on the ground, Heather went over and ruffled both Jordan and Lucas' hair.

"Hey, squirts." She smirked at them.

"Don't touch my hair, Heather!" Jordan scowled back. Honestly, there are times when my brother reminds me of a teenage girl.

"No chance." Heather ruffled his hair even more.

"UUUUUUUUGHHHH! MOOOOM! DAAAAD!" Jordan screamed out of annoyance. I'm not even joking when I say that he's the grumpiest person ever.

"Alrighty there Grumpypants, calm down!" Colby chuckled.

"I _am _calm!" My brother protested. We all giggled amongst ourselves.

"So Lucas, how's the spelling bee going?" I asked.

"It's a bit hard, but I think I'll be alright." he replied. Lucas is quite a bright kid for his age.

A few hours later, as Colby was putting the younger ones in bed, it was just Mom, Heather and I in the main room.

"So Mom, has Erica told you that she's head over heels in _luuuuuurve?_" Heather smirked in my direction, winking.

"I am _not _head over heels, Heather!" I glared. My sister chuckled to herself.

"Who's the lucky guy then?" Mom grinned in my direction. I scoffed.

"I'd hardly say he was lucky... it's only me, after all...but his name is Richard."

"You've got to stop speaking so lowly of yourself, Eri. I'm sure he's very lucky that you have feelings for him. Do you have any photos of him for me to see?" Mom asked.

"Uh yeah... I have him on Simbook. Pass me the laptop, I'll show you his profile." Heather passed me the laptop that she was previously using to type up an overdue assignment. I logged onto Simbook and loaded up Richard's profile before showing Mom.

"Oh, he looks nice! Do you two get along well?"

I was about to answer when Colby walked into the room.

"Who's this then, Bailey? Your secret lover?" He joked before kissing Mom on the forehead. Cute.

"More like Erica's!" She winked in my direction. I sighed.

"You've got a boyfriend, Erica? Does he meet my approval?" Colby grinned in my direction, though there was still a serious look in his eyes.

"I'd say he does. I've met him enough times to form a valid opinion." My sister replied.

"Great to hear that, but he isn't my boyfriend!" I protested.

"Not yet, anyway." Mom and Colby laughed to themselves.

"I don't even know if he likes me as more than a friend!"

"Eri, he called you pretty the first time you both met. I'm pretty sure he does." Heather seemed to be getting pretty fed up with my pessimism.

"Ooh, and how come your mother and I weren't told of this?" Colby smirked. I blushed, wishing that I'd never even told Heather any of this in the first place.

A few weeks later, I was sat in the sorority room whilst listening to old songs when my phone vibrated. It was a text from Richard.

'_Hey, meet me at the lake behind my house ASAP._'

Not knowing what else to do, I screenshotted the message and passed it on to Heather. Her response was,

'_OMG, u shud totez go like rn! tell me everything that happens, k? luv ya! xoxo_'

Typical, huh?

Nevertheless, I slid on my shoes and left the house. Julianna and a couple of the sorority bitches were just arriving back as I went past.

"You're going out looking like _that_?" One of them sneered. Her crony laughed.

"Knock it off, you guys. Erica, you look fine." Julianna gave me a small smile as I turned to walk in the direction of the lake. I really was beginning to wonder what Richard wanted me to meet him for.

Getting closer to my destination, my heart started thudding, especially as Richard came into view. He was looking at me with a serious expression. Had I done something wrong...?

"Hey, Erica," he surprisingly pulled me into a hug, which he'd never done before. "I kinda wanted to talk to you about a few things."

"Oh... sure, go ahead." I threw Richard an unsure expression.

"Firstly, I know how you feel about me," My eyes widened in horror. "And I'm really, really happy that you think that way. Which is why I wanted to meet you out here. You see, since the moment that I first laid my eyes on you, I knew that there was something special about you. Something that I didn't see in other women. I can't really put it into words... the only thing I can say is that I'm madly in love with you, Erica. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

My mouth hung open in shock, eyes welling up with tears. Darn, why was I always the overly emotional type? I eventually managed to stammer out,

"R-really?"

"Yes. I love you, Erica, and I'm not afraid to admit it anymore."

"I... I love you too, Richard." I could hardly believe that this is happening.

And just like that, our lips were touching. There were no words to describe the feeling other than it was electric. I could definitely get used to this.

As we pulled away, Richard grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes.

"Eri, will you be my girlfriend?" He asked me.

"I'd absolutely love to." I grinned before Richard pulled me in for another kiss.

This was definitely the start of something amazing.

_I'VE FINALLY FINISHED THIS! Aaaanyway, the ending's a bit naff tbh, but it's 11:47 on a school night and exams are draining me. I'm just glad it's finally done. Also, go on my profile for the link to vote for the generation nine heir of my Goth legacy! It'd be much appreciated. Part two will focus on the rest of their relationship as well as BABIES. Man, I need sleep. See ya._


	2. Chapter 2

All of Me: Part Two

_Nine months to write a chapter. Never again. Ever. Jesus christ, glad this one's over. I don't even ship Erica and Richard as much as I used to now, awks. I'll do the usual rambling once this is over, and yes I know the ending is rushed af. I just wanted this to be over._

_**Three years later**_

I was surprised to enter the dorm room to find Heather dancing around to Voulez Vous by Abba whilst in her underwear. In addition to the hair piled on her head and the hairbrush that she was singing (badly) into. At least Richard wasn't with me.

I laughed to myself as my sister seemed unphased by my entrance. Relaxing down on my bed, I sent Richard a quick text to let him know I'd gotten back safely. He always insists that I do that.

The song finally finished and Heather collapsed onto her own bed. Her and I were still sharing a room at university, except this time at a dorm and not the sorority. Let's just say that shit went down at the end of freshman year and I refused to step foot in that building for as long as I lived. Heather wanted to go back the next year, but Richard helped me convince her to leave it.

Anyway, Richard and I had been dating for over three years now, and we were preparing to graduate together. He'd suggested that he would move to Sunset Valley so that I could stay by my family, who meant so much to me. I really appreciated that. Mom and Colby have met him a few times, they think he's great for me.

Over these past couple of years I've been dealing with homesickness, he was by my side a lot of that time and held me close, saying it wouldn't be long before I was back in Sunset Valley with my family. It was mainly Zoey that I missed the most, and she really missed Heather and I back. There were times that she called at midnight, having snuck downstairs to use the phone, where she was in tears, unable to sleep because she missed us both so much. That broke both mine and Heather's hearts into a million pieces. We told Mom and Colby about it, so they set up a Skype account so that Zoey could video chat with us whilst we were away. It was definitely an improvement for all three of us.

"Soooo, Erica," Heather looked over to me from her bed. "Think it'll be long before you and Richard think about starting a family together or something?"

"Gosh, I don't know. We haven't really talked about it yet..." I found my face flushing red. I hated these discussions with my sister, she always ended up asking me about my sex life.

"You guys totally should! Imagine how cute your kids would be!"

"Yeah, maybe we'll wait a little. I'm not sure."

"Well, definitely give it some thought and talk it out. Anyway, when was the last time you two made love?"

"HEATHER!" I knew this was coming.

"No, it's a serious question! Nothing to be ashamed of!"

"Last week?"

"Ah. Planning on doing it again soon?" Heather grinned.

"Please shut up." I groaned in annoyance.

"Richard used protection, right?"

"Heather, put a sock in it!"

"I hope Richard did too."

"That was the worst pun ever." I rolled my eyes at my twin's childishness.

"Well, you don't have to put up with my shitty puns for that much longer, eh? Bet you can't wait to get your own house with Richard."

"Yup, we've got our eye on that empty one by the beach. You know, the one with the pool?"

"Oh, cool. You and him can make all the love you want there!"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP ABOUT MINE AND MY BOYFRIEND'S SEXUAL ACTIVITY?" I sighed loudly in annoyance and threw a pillow in my sister's direction. All Heather did was laugh at me.

"Chillax, sis. We're almost free of education forever."

The following week, I woke up with my shoulders aching like crazy. Nausea rushed through my body.

"Ugh..." I moaned, shoving my face in my pillow.

"You alright, Eri?" Heather asked sleepily from her own bed.

"I feel like I'm gonna vomit. And I need a painkiller."

This was going to be an awful day, I just knew it.

By the time I was getting ready to leave for a lecture, one of the dormies who I've never really spoken to looked at me, concerned.

"Are you feeling okay, Erica? You don't look too good..." she asked.

"Nothing that some aspirin and a breath of fresh air hopefully won't take care of." I replied before grabbing my bag and leaving the dorms. I was hoping to bump into Richard on campus so that he could give me a much-needed hug.

However, on campus I managed to be shoved out of the way by Heather's boyfriend, Jeffery Dean. Fraternity boy, started as an asshole. Still is sometimes, but my sister's tamed him to some extent. Anyway, I'm sure he didn't realise it was me, considering I look like death at this current moment. There's always been unresolved issues between me, him and Richard. In freshman year, shortly after Richard and I began dating, Jeffery decided to publicly humiliate him on campus, before proceeding to beat him up. It was at this point that I arrived on the scene and managed to intervene, finishing with tackling Jeffery to the ground. Hey, being athletic means that you get pretty strong. But yeah, I think I shocked the entire student body that day, what with gathering the reputation of the quiet good girl and all that.

Throughout the lecture, I was feeling more and more nauseous. But I refused to let myself throw up in class. But what if someone stopped to talk to me afterward and I puked all over them? That'd be embarrassing as hell.

Finally, the lecture was over and I dashed out, rushing upstairs to where the toilets were. I was pretty sure I heard Richard calling out for me in the distance when I remembered that I was meant to be meeting him after class. Crap. Well, let's just get the awkwardness of hurling down a public toilet out the way. Hopefully it'll make me feel better or something.

Later that night, I was lying face down on my bed, wishing the day was over. The fraternity was throwing a party, and Heather was attempting to drag me along.

"Come on, Erica! It'll be fun! You don't have to drink or anything if you're still feeling sick, I can sort out some water for you..."

"I'm _not _going when I feel like I've been dragged backwards through a bush. End of."

"Fine, suit yourself," The sounds of half a hairspray can being used filled the room and the floating particles almost made me choke. "But you'll be by yourself till at least 1:30 in the morning."

"I'll be sleeping then, anyway. Enjoy yourself, Heather."

The next day, I still felt like a troll and was told by my very hungover sister to stay in the dorms whilst everyone else went to class. By myself. Again.

I heard a small, timid knock on the door and sighed to myself.

"Come in." I called. To my surprise, Richard strolled into the room, looking worried.

"How are you feeling, Eri?" he asked, making his way over to my bed and pulling me up into a tight hug.

"Absolutely dreadful."

I'm sure that went without saying just by looking at my appearance. Oversized pajamas that _totally _didn't belong to my boyfriend, smudged makeup from the previous day that I was too unmotivated to take off, hair that looked like a bird's nest.

"Poor hun. I just came to stop by quickly before going on to my next class."

"Definitely gonna be spending the rest of the week cooped up in here at this rate, so I'm sorry but my appearance is just gonna keep downgrading from here."

"Eri, don't apologise for anything appearance-wise. All I care about is you feeling better."

I remained silent and just clung to Richard, as if I was scared to lose grip.

"Anyway, I'll call you when class has finished, alright. I need to get going. Love you, Erica."

Then Richard was gone, just like that.

_**Two weeks later**_

Fucking hell.

I'm pregnant.

And graduation is three weeks away.

I was just sat in silence, staring at the positive pregnancy test in my hand. How was I supposed to explain this to Richard? I know for a fact that it'd throw him off his last-minute studies.

Who was I to tell about this?

My mom would freak out. So would Heather. Jordan, Lucas or Zoey would tell Mom. As for Colby, why would my stepfather be the first to find out? Julianna would tell everyone on campus. Those people were my only options.

Great, looks like I'll have to tell Heather. As long as she doesn't shout "PREGNANT LADY COMING THROUGH" whilst I'm walking around campus, I should be alright.

I won't be alright.

Nope.

I found myself running out of the toilet cubicle, pregnancy test still in hand, out of the communal bathroom, into my room and throwing myself on the bed, sobbing. How was I supposed to get a kickstart to my athletic career being pregnant and caring for a baby?

This must have been a result of the night when Richard and I were slightly intoxicated after a party at one of the other dorms that we were both dragged along to by my sister. But screw that, I don't want to think about it.

My head is a mess right now.

_**An hour later**_

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Go away."

Heather was back, I was still lying face down on the bed and had no plans on moving unless I was forced to. Which, knowing my sister, would probably be soon.

"Something's up, Erica. Tell me." Heather sighed, kneeling down beside me.

"Can't." I sniffed in reply. This was looking a lot like a mother trying to cheer up her small child right now.

"And why not?"

I groaned in defeat.

"You can't speak a word of this to anyone-"

"Lips are sealed, Eri."

"I... I... I'm..." I began sobbing all over again into the pillow. "I'm pregnant."

Heather's only response was a gasp. Followed by silence on her behalf. I was almost physically choking on my own tears.

"Hey, shhh. It's alright. I'm here, sweets," Heather rubbed my back in attempt to calm me down. "C'mon, sit up."

She ended up pulling me up, where my face literally fell into her shoulder as I clung close to my sister.

"Does Richard know?" Heather whispered.

"N-no."

"It's okay. I'm going to be by your side this entire time, alright? You're my twin sister, my best friend. You mean the world to me and if you're sad, I'm sad too. Cheer up, cupcake..." Heather comforted, still holding me reassuringly and rubbing my back.

"M-my li-life i-is o-over..." I stammered.

"It's not! This baby will be an absolute blessing into your life, I can promise you. The last thing that you want to be feeling is negativity over your baby. Richard will be here for you too, that I can promise with full certainty."

I could barely get out a reply. Heather sighed.

"Y'know, I'd always thought that I'd be more likely to get knocked up in uni than you. Guess I'd thought wrong." She tried joking, but I showed no reaction.

"I was _not _knocked up. Richard and I had simply had too much to drink." I sniffed.

"I know, I know. Just ignore me, I was making a joke in bad taste. Damn, I can't believe I'm gonna have a niece or nephew. Aunt Heather, eh? What about Grandma Bailey?"

For the first time all day, I gave a small laugh.

"Oh god, it'll be hell when I eventually tell Mom about this." I sighed, coming to my senses again.

"She'll come around eventually..."

_**Four weeks later**_

Heather was still the only person to know that I was pregnant. The bad thing was, we'd now graduated university and were back home. I was in deep trouble.

My mom hid her pregnancy with Heather and I for nearly four months, god knows how she managed it. However, she raised the pair of us to never lie and to always come to her to talk about anything, she'd understand. But how could I tell her that she was going to be a grandparent when my boyfriend who was currently over 300 miles away didn't even know he was going to be a father? Neither would be happy with me for keeping this to myself for this amount of time.

I'd barely pulled myself out of bed and got dressed when I realised that the mail was due around this time. Heather had been expecting a package, but it wasn't likely that she'd be waking up anytime soon, considering she was snoring louder than the wails of a baby.

Ugh. Babies.

It looked definite that I would be getting the mail today, then. As I was about to go downstairs, I heard a small voice from behind me.

"Eri?"

"Yeah, Zoey?"

"When is Richard moving here?"

Well, that was random. But my baby sister absolutely adores Richard, in the few times she's met him she'd been by his side the entire time.

"Soon, sweetie. Now come on, back to bed for you."

"But what about you?"

"I've always been an early bird, hun. Love you, get some more sleep." I blew Zoey a kiss before continuing downstairs. I made a mental note to contact Richard at some point today to ask when he was coming over here.

The kitchen has always been my least favourite room in this house. Dull-coloured tiles on the walls that had the most revolting pattern, light wooden flooring that just didn't belong in a room like this, small wooden table with two chairs that didn't even match this room. I could go on forever. Don't even get me started on the mismatched windows and clear glass door. There are a lot of complaints to make about Goth Manor, but the kitchen is the absolute worst. I can't stand it.

Once on the front porch, it looked like I'd just caught the mailman with his deliveries. Oh, it's a new guy. Except it wasn't the mailman. I could recognise that flamboyant hairstyle from a mile away. It was Richard.

"Oh my god!" I managed to squeak out before taking off in his direction and into his open arms. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I'm here to see my girlfriend and my child, of course." Richard whispered into my ear. My eyes widened.

"...what?"

"Heather told me everything. Erica... why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Richard pulled away to look into my eyes. He was obviously upset about this, and I felt so guilty.

"I'm so sorry, believe me when I say that I really wanted to tell you. I only didn't because I didn't want to distract you from your exams..."

"Eri, you needn't have worried. At least I know now... I can't wait until we meet our child."

I smiled.

"Me too..."

_**Later that day**_

"Sunset Valley is so beautiful, I'm so glad that I'm here permanently now." Richard smiled at me. He'd asked me to show him the most beautiful place in the small town, personally I'd say that that place would be the waterfall. So there we were.

"I am too. We'll start looking for a house soon?" I suggested. Richard had brought all of his belongings here with him which were currently stored in the garage.

"Of course. I don't care where in town it is, as long as we're finally living together." Richard wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

"Can't wait." I planted a soft kiss on Richard's lips.

"Anyway, I've been wanting to ask you this one question since we first started dating."

"Go for it."

Richard stepped back and got onto one knee before pulling a small box out of his pocket.

"Right, I'll keep this short and sweet. Erica Goth, can I have the honour of being your husband?"

Okay, I screamed out loud. Then I started crying.

"Of course you can! Yes, I'll marry you!" I managed to cry out before breaking down as Richard slid a beautiful diamond ring onto my finger.

"Hey, come here," Richard said softly as he pulled me towards him and gave me a loving kiss. "No need to cry, Eri. We're getting married and having a baby! What could be better?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing." I sobbed happily into Richard's shoulder.

I couldn't wait to become Mrs Erica Randall.

_**Several months later**_

"Hey there, Lenny! You're such a cutie!" Zoey cooed to her nephew, my firstborn son. Lenny Randall. He was a couple of months old and was the love of my life, besides Richard. My little man looked a lot like his father.

Richard and I had a very short engagement and tied the knot only two months after the proposal. I felt as if life could never get any better than this.

"Say hi to your Auntie Zoey, Lenny!" I smiled. Lenny gurgled in response.

"I hope that you and Richard have so many more children because I want so many nieces and nephews!" Zoey declared. I think she was actually being serious.

"Hah, we'll have to see about that. Giving birth to this little one was bad enough."

_**Four years later**_

"He's so beautiful... he looks exactly like you."

Richard was holding our new son Kain close, staring lovingly at him. I'd only given birth an hour ago and was completely exhausted, so all I could do was smile.

"I can't wait for Lenny to meet his brother. Love you so much, Eri." Richard used his free hand to squeeze mine.

"Love you too."

_**Ten years later**_

Both my children and younger siblings were growing every day, and frankly I hated it.

Zoey was now twenty-one years old with a baby on the way. I have a feeling that it was a mistake as I don't even know the father, but nevertheless if she was happy, so was I.

Jordan was the father of twins! A girl and a boy named Brooklyn and Orlando. They were born while Jordan was still in university. It was so surreal to see how much my brother changed after they were born.

Lucas and his longtime girlfriend Cade are expecting their first child. The pair of them moved into mine and Richard's old house after we relocated across town to somewhere larger to fit our family.

Heather had a little girl called Corrie shortly before Kain was born. She has our mother's beautiful dark eyes.

Anyway, on to my own children. Lenny reminds me so much of his father, same innocent face, same characteristics. Kain is literally my double, bar having Richard's eye colour. Then there's the twins, Stacie and Tanner. They were the biggest surprise but still one of the best. Stacie looks even more like Richard than Lennie does, it's acually quite spooky. Tanner on the other hand is more of a mix. He has my purple eyes and nose with Richard's lips and face shape. His hair colour came from my real father, who died shortly before I had Lennie.

I had the perfect husband and four beautiful children and I couldn't ask for anything better.

_At last! God, I never thought I'd finish this. I published it on my sister's third birthday, now she's nearly four. How did this take so long? Okay, I'll be honest. I was lazy. And school. And other stuff which nobody should care about. But yeah, I probably won't update my other story until at least July or August because I've got my first actual GCSE exam in under two weeks and I'm spending most of my time studying. Booooring, I know. And before I go, whilst still vaguely on the topic of my other story, I'm doing a prequel to it on my simblr (plumbobsinthesky) complete with photos and all that. It's called The First One and is about Drew and Ryan's relationship, check it out :)_

_K cya._


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